Highlight speakers at the „VR NOW – The Tech Biz Art Conference – Alysha Naples, Ela Darling and Prof. Dr. Markus Gabriel
Alysha Naples, the American-Italian designer and until recently Senior Director of User Experience and Interaction at Magic Leap, the American Ela Darling, VR pioneer in the porn industry and co-founder of VRTube.xxx as well as Prof. Dr. Markus Gabriel, Professor of Epistemology, Modern and Contemporary Philosophy at the University of Bonn, are set to be among the highlight speakers at the international Virtual Reality (VR) conference – VR NOW – The Tech Biz Art Conference.
The VR NOW Conference 2016 will be held in Potsdam’s Schiffbauergasse on November 16, 2016. The conference will be addressing current impulses and trends in the industry and presenting new business models and sustainable prospects for the successful application and various possibilities of Virtual Reality.
Until recently, Alysha Naples was the Senior Director of User Experience and Interaction at the American VR and AR start-up Magic Leap. In her keynote, she will address the question in which direction Virtual Reality should develop. Naples says that we have the chance of shaping the medium in such a way that it brings people together. The potential for human interaction in the metaverse is enormous. Alysha Naples, who as a kid wanted to be an astronaut, dinosaur or a Solid Gold dancer, but instead studied Design, has been pushing the frontiers of design within emerging tech while forging the path to adoption within industry and education. Her core philosophy is that products are a reflection of the cultures in which they were created, and that transformative products require an investment in building and nurturing authentic and diverse work cultures.
Meanwhile, entrepreneur and VR pioneer Ela Darling will be at VR Now Con to reveal how Virtual Reality can save the porn industry. Why save? Because adult entertainment may now be largely free of taboos, but is coming under a lot of pressure from product piracy and the offers of free online platforms. Darling – who began her career as a librarian than a feminist, porn star and political activist – feels certain that VR can offer a solution here. Ela Darling is known as the world’s first „Virtual Reality Cam Girl“ and is regarded as the one-and-only VR pioneer of the porn industry. As the co-founder and face of VRTube.xxx, she has joined forces with CAM4 to create a global network of VR live cameras for erotic film content to give her performers the opportunity to make money with the new technology. The offer of VRTube.xxx gives users experiences that far surpass the 2D analogue experience.
Nothing less than reality itself is the subject of the talk by Prof. Dr. Markus Gabriel, Professor in the Chair of Epistemology, Modern and Contemporary Philosophy at the University of Bonn and author of „Why The World Does Not Exist“ and „Ich ist nicht Gehirn“ („I am not a Brain“, forthcoming, published in German). He has published numerous essays in the fields of metaphysics and epistemology and is a visiting professor at Berkeley, the Sorbonne and Rio de Janeiro, among others. Gabriel will issue a response to his colleague David Chalmers for the first time during the VR Now Con.
The VR Now Con will also serve as the backdrop for the newly created „VR Now Awards“, the first awards ceremony in Germany dedicated exclusively to Virtual Reality projects. The awards will recognise outstanding technical, business and artistic achievements in the Virtual Reality industry. An expert jury will decide on the winners in four categories. Many entries have already been submitted; until the final submission deadline on October 16, 2016, projects can be submitted by accessing http://awards.vrnowcon.io.
The one-day English-language conference and the awards ceremony will be held under the auspices of Virtual Reality e.V. Berlin-Brandenburg, which was founded this year, organised byBooster Space – Made with Love in Berlin, and funded by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.
More about VR Now Con at www.vrnowcon.io
Facebook: www.facebook.com/virtualrealitynow
Facebook event page: www.facebook.com/events/676269155860989/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/vrnowcon, @VRnowCon, #VRnowCon, #VRlove
About Virtual Reality e.V. Berlin-Brandenburg
Virtual Reality e.V. Berlin-Brandenburg was founded in April 2016 by several companies and initiatives from Potsdam and Berlin. Another 15 leading Berlin and Brandenburg-based film and TV producers, tech entrepreneurs and research institutes have joined the venture along-side Studio Babelsberg, UFA LAB, Exozet, SMI, Metropolis VR, Babelsberg Film University and HPI (D-School). The new association brings all of the VR and AR expertise available in Potsdam-Babelsberg and the capital region together as a way of making this location internationally competitive in this field. The board comprises Stephan Schindler (Wonderlamp Industries), Henry Bauer (Exozet), Christian Villwock (SMI) and Sven Bliedung (SLICE Studios). Preparations in setting up the association were supported by Brandenburg’s Economics Ministry, the Zukunftsagentur Brandenburg and media.net berlinbrandenburg. www.virtualrealitybb.org
About Booster Space – Made with Love in Berlin
Booster Space – with its headquarters in Berlin and a global network of partners and contacts – is a professional event organiser and specialist in developing brands. Working in collaboration with experienced and qualified partners in the areas of production, PR and design, Booster Space facilitates the efficient organistion and successful promotion of events and other projects, as well as offering concept development, marketing strategies and event production from a single source. At the forefront of Booster Space’s interdisciplinary work is the desire to create and realise projects in an authentic and exciting way. The agency is the founder and manager of #gamesweekberlin. www.booster-space.com
